OBEY? What a Funny Word

From Obedience and submission comes all our virtues, and all sin is come from self-opinion.

Michel Eyquem De Montaigne (1533-1592, French philosopher, essayist)

1 Samuel 15:22-23

Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king. (HCSB)

Submission is one of the hardest things for us as the children of Adam and Eve to accept, and it should come as no surprise to us, for we can see this problem in our family tree. Isn’t it always easy for us to come up with an alternative plan? Sometimes this is wisdom, but when it comes to God’s plans and our plans it is not an option.

In this New Year the best resolution we could all make can be summed up in one word, and that word is “Obedience.” We should all resolve to believe God’s Word and follow His plans for us to the letter, and not insert out will into the picture. As you can see in this exchange between Saul and Samuel, our plans can get us into lifelong troubles.

Let us all decide to reject the plans that satan eagerly supplies to those that have decided to be obedient to God’s Will for their lives. Satan has a alternative plan for every plan that God has for your and my life, but it is up to us to learn to discern the difference. It isn’t hard to tell the difference; Satan’s plan is the one that has you in mind and not others. I’ll bet Saul could tell you something about monuments to self…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Through Jesus Christ

We must not sit still and look for miracles; up and doing, and the Lord will be with thee. Prayer and pains, through faith in Christ Jesus, will do anything.

Sir John Eliot (1592-1632, British statesman)

Romans 16:25-27

Now to Him who has power to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the sacred secret kept silent for long ages, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God, to advance the obedience of faith among all nations—to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to Him be the glory forever! Amen. (HCSB)

The last piece of treasure that we will mine from this scripture is the most important of all, and gives the most import to our obedience. Hidden in the last sentence of this scripture is the secret of pleasing the “Only Wise God.” We find here the way to Him, and the way to true spiritual blessing in our lives. How? It is through Jesus Christ!

If we walk as Jesus walked, we will glorify our Father through our obedience to Christ, and He told us that while He was here. In Matt 5:16, Jesus says "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” I think that our life’s mission is described in an explicit way here, you can’t miss it.

Paul says it this way in 2 Cor 5:20, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Out whole life is to be spent on reconciling others to Christ; we are His spokesmen, His eyes, His feet and His arms. To the extent that we live through Him, is the measure of the Glory and Honor we give to our “Only Wise and Loving God…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Believing Is Seeing

Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945, German Lutheran pastor and theologian)

Romans 16:25-27

Now to Him who has power to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the sacred secret kept silent for long ages, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God, to advance the obedience of faith among all nations—to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to Him be the glory forever! Amen. (HCSB)

There are scriptures that are so rich, they are a minefield of diamonds, and this is one of those. Another question this scripture eloquently places before us is an inquiry of our obedience. The obedience of faith is important as Deitrich Bonhoeffer suggests in his quote this morning. An old English proverb also says that the ship that will not obey the helm, will obey the rocks.

Obedience is important. Most all of us have visited our past and thanked those whom disciplined us for our good. What was the goal of those that disciplined us? It was to advance obedience, but in today’s world discipline and obedience have taken a back seat to the advancement of selfish and temporal goals.

Within Scripture lie the secrets of life revealed. You will not see them nor understand them, unless you first walk in obedience to them. Psalm 34:8 says “Come, taste and see that the Lord is good.” Obedience creates more obedience. Romans 1:17 tells us that God’s Righteousness is revealed in us from faith, to faith, and that His Righteous ones would live that way. Simply put, the more we walk the faith, the more we see…God’s Blessings.


Pastor William